Actor Saif Ali Khan will next be seen as a Gujarati businessman in Baazaar (2018) directed by first-time filmmaker Gauravv Chawla. However, for his next two films he has undergone drastic transformations for his characters.
In Hunter, directed by Navdeep Singh, the actor plays a Naga sadhu. In an interview with the daily tabloid, Mumbai Mirror, Khan stated, the part was “the hardest thing I’ve done and I’m still recovering.”
For his role in Hunter, which he called “a new story” and “a brave attempt” by filmmaker Singh, he had to do everything “from horse riding and sword-fighting to action sequences in mud wearing kilos of make up. I shot for 80 difficult days, my scalp would bleed from the weight of the wig.”
While Hunter was all physical, on-set hard work, in the historical film, Taanaji - The Unsung Warrior (2019), he had to deal with CGI (computer graphic imagery). In the film, Khan reunites with actor-producer Ajay Devgn, his co-star on Kachche Dhaage (1999) and Omkara (2006). The period film tells the story of military leader Tanaji Malusare who fought under Maratha king Shivaji.
In the same interview, Khan revealed that he plays an anti-hero opposite Devgn. “I have to wear a headgear in the film and the director (Om Raut) asked me if I’m okay with that. I told him I’d done something 60 times harder,” he said.
Khan added, “I’m happy to be a part of this huge historical which will be a screen extravaganza, a post-Baahubali kind of experience in 3D. Ajay loves cinema, is a great producer, and this is the right film to make today as it highlights patriotism and heroism. Kids will love it, so will the rest of the country.”
The actor has been filming for both parts this year. Baazaar (2018), co-starring Radhika Apte, Chitrangda Singh and Rohan Mehra, is due to be released on 26 October 2018.